Whether cooking a weekday meal or a special occasion dinner party, there’s a secret ingredient loved by Michelin-starred chefs across the globe for good reason. Just a little touch can elevate any dish and turn it into a stunning culinary masterpiece.
You don’t need to go to culinary school, and you only need to add a small amount to effortlessly transform a meal into a fine dining experience. The name of this mystery ingredient? Truffle.
A little truffle background
So exactly what is a truffle? Not to be confused with the chocolate variety of the same name, truffles are rare and edible fungi, similar to mushrooms; however, unlike mushrooms, they grow underground close to the roots of certain trees. For millennia they have symbolised decadence. The ancient Greeks called them ‘the Food of the Gods’ and used them for both culinary and medicinal purposes. They first became popular in the 1980s as a means to add flavour to savoury dishes, truffles soon gained popularity in upscale restaurants and home kitchens along with a growing interest in gourmet cuisine.
Health benefits
One of the key trends driving demand for truffle products in recent years is the search for natural products along with a rising interest in their health benefits. These little power-houses of nutrition deliver one of the healthiest additions to your meals. High in protein and fibre and packed with antioxidants such as polyphenols which can help control sugar levels and blood pressure, they may be good for cardiovascular health, help lower the risk of chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and as they contain no bad fats, can even be beneficial for weight loss as well as helping to prevent skin-ageing.
Truffle in a convenient guise
And now there is a simple way to introduce the sophisticated taste of truffle to your cuisine thanks to La Rustichella Truffles. Sourced from Italy, the delicious range of luxury truffle-based products are the perfect store cupboard essential for any food connoisseur. The ultimate go-to ingredient for foodies, they can be used as a culinary ingredient, a marinade, dressing, dip or as a finishing touch. A soupçon of truffle can enrich a whole range of cuisines from Indian to Chinese, South-East Asian to European or traditional British cuisine, instantly taking them from ordinary to extraordinary thanks to the exquisite umami flavour and earthy aroma associated with these “jewels of the earth”.
La Rustichella’s authentic truffle products regularly feature within the fine dining dishes of the most elite restaurants, representing the globally recognised “Made in Italy” stamp of excellence. Their premium truffle oils, made with olive oil and black or white truffles, can be drizzled over any dish. A highly versatile ingredient, truffle oil has found its way into the hearts and kitchens of food enthusiasts around the world. Simply add a few drops just before serving to add an inimitable gourmet flavour with minimal effort. Drizzle over pasta, pizza, eggs, pasta or soup, add to a vinaigrette or as a garnish for fish or meat to add culinary magic to every bite. Truffle oil can even elevate French fries from the freezer section, add depth to homemade sauces and can also be used to add a dash of decadence to dessert.
As well as truffle oils, La Rustichella’s extensive range also includes black and white truffle, sauces, pâté, creams, butter, vinegar, honey, truffle salt, plus a selection of organic truffle oils, offering a choice of gastronomic delights to cater for every culinary occasion. Each product is created using only the most superior ingredients to capture the authentic essence of the precious truffle. The sauces (pâté) are perfect as an appetiser, for seasoning pasta, or for enriching the most refined recipes to ensure a gastronomic experience like no other, while the sliced black truffles, vinegar and truffle salts add a new explosion of flavour to almost any dish. And as you’d expect, truffle honey delivers an exciting new taste sensation to a wide variety of desserts, but in addition can work wonders in savoury recipes and even creative cocktails!
The La Rustichella story
The story of La Rustichella began in 1986, Sergio Brugnoli and his wife Maria set up the company to enable the Italian couple to share their passion for truffles. It quickly grew into a thriving business offering authentic Italian products with a focus on the international market with La Rustichella Truffles rapidly expanding its presence in Europe and the UK. The decision to use only natural ingredients and manufacturing processes that respect the truffle’s authentic flavour underlines the company’s dedication to purity and quality and has resulted in La Rustichella gaining well-deserved recognition around the world for its range of superior truffle products, including its recently launched organic range made with extra virgin olive oil.
La Rustichella products are available via the website and on Amazon.
To discover more about creating delicious truffle-based dishes, visit La Rustichella
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All Image Courtesy of La Rustichella and Unsplash.